Yesterday, I got my new graphics card in the mail. I wanted one that had an s-video out so I could watch my television shows on the television screen, rather than my computer monitor. I suppose I should preface this with a little information about my computer.
I built my computer in Feb. of 2003. I saved money and bought pieces from various internet retailers. It worked very well until about Feb. of '06. That was when the cooling fans on the power supply failed, and the fans inside the case began spinning at incredible speeds, giving the careful listener the impression that someone was either mowing the law, or a Cessna was trying to take off in my bedroom.
Upon moving to Utah in July, the power supply would get so hot, that I decided to remove it from the computer case and leave it on the outside, so the heat could dissipate into the air around the computer, rather than inside.
Yesterday the new graphics card arrived, so i set the computer down on its side and replaced it. In an attempt to turn it back on, it didn't respond. I switched out every cord, plugged and re-plugged every connection and every piece of hardware. Upon supplying power to the board, the fans would spin but the rest of the computer was unresponsive.
I came to the conclusion that a short must have either occurred in the wiring, or the motherboard itself. I read that you should be able to start up your computer by touching a screwdriver to the power-on posts. That didn't work.
So now my computer is sitting on the counter, parts strewn about, looking as though it will be a sacrificial lamb of some sort. Tigerdirect.com still carries motherboards that support my older style cpu (which is still very fast.) and new cases bundled with power supplies. And due to the age of my processor, the prices aren't too bad.
This better work once it gets back, or else I'll have to spend a ton more money that I don't have.
Rubberduckie, you were a swell computer.
